Be Our Guest: Algoa Correctional Center residents gain food-service experience — and earn professional ServSafe certification — through the Missouri Governor’s Mansion work-release program

Algoa Correctional Center residents gain food-service experience — and earn professional ServSafe certification — through the Missouri Governor’s Mansion work-release program

Story by Marcus Wilkins. Photos by Garry Brix.

Jeremy Burton’s gloved hand expertly positions the dessert fork at its 12 o’clock spot above a “charger” — the decorative disk beneath the dinner plate in a formal place setting. As he slides past the miniature grand piano and golden concert harp near the dining table, Burton’s colleague, Christopher Crocker, is outside watering a planter bursting with red-flash caladiums (“elephant ears”) on the manicured terrace about 800 feet from the Missouri River.

Back in the stainless-steel confines of the kitchen, sous chef Thomas Buckner snips green beans for the almondine side dish while rows of freshly jarred cucumbers and jalapeños look on. Timothy Duncan stocks the beverage station, Mike Smith mans the dish machine, and Kyle Schulz preps soon-to-be-seared chicken for the coq au vin blanc.

It’s an artfully choreographed performance behind the scenes at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion, where a dozen residents from Algoa Correctional Center (ACC) are bused daily to maintain grounds, prepare food and serve guests at the historic property. Today’s event is a birthday banquet for Missouri Lieutenant Governor David Wasinger’s mother. But for the residents, it’s also another step on the road to reentry.

“It is a humanizing environment,” Burton said. “It’s nice to feel like you’re treated like somebody here, and not just a number. And the hands-on experience that we’ll take to the outside is so, so valuable.”

In addition to their hospitality duties, the men are taking classes for ServSafe certification — a food and beverage safety training program administered by the National Restaurant Association — that will strengthen their résumés as they apply for jobs upon release.

It’s uncharted territory for Buckner, an auto mechanic by trade, who has become the resident canning expert. Among his many culinary tasks under the tutelage of executive chef Brandon Kampeter, Buckner preserves produce from the property’s garden. He’s even made a delectable sauce using blackberries from Governor Mike Kehoe’s farm.

“I had a garden back home, but when I Googled how to can vegetables it just seemed like such a long process,” said Buckner, from Fulton, Missouri. “I’ve had time to learn here, and I’ve learned a lot of stuff that I know I’ll use — even if it’s just at home.”

Service with a Smile 

Shari Childs, mansion executive director, knows all about transferring knowledge gained from the food-service industry into a multifaceted career. She spent 17 years working in restaurants before starting with the Show-Me State — at first in the Department of Economic Development’s mailroom. Now she oversees a staff that hosts around 200 events a year — all while maintaining her trademark warmth and charm.

“These guys are learning the hospitality business from front to back — literally,” Childs said. “They’re doing laundry, pressing napkins and table cloths, cooking, plating food and serving patrons in a fine-dining environment. With so many moving parts to this job, we couldn’t do it all without them.”

Alongside Childs is Chloe Hill, the Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) case manager at the mansion who oversees the work-release program. It’s a position Kehoe created specifically for Hill, and one she maintains with humor, compassion and empathy for the residents.

“I can relate to where a lot of these men come from because I’ve been through some of the same struggles,” said Hill, from St. Louis, who started with MODOC as a correctional officer. “We’ve all made mistakes, and these guys’ mistakes took them down a different path. But it doesn’t mean you can’t change your outcome.”

Candidates for the mansion program undergo a rigorous screening process and are selected from across the state. Requirements are more stringent here than in other work-release programs. Arrest record is a factor, and domestic, violent and sex crimes are unacceptable. Candidate reports are submitted to Capitol Police and the Missouri Highway Patrol for approval before interviews take place.

The program’s success has also inspired MODOC to develop an even more robust apprenticeship certificate program set to launch this winter. Partnering with the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, and the Department of Labor, future participants with about two years remaining on their sentences will complete additional classwork — including the ServSafe course — while gaining the hands-on experience at the mansion to earn official certification from the State of Missouri.

“You spend a lot of time getting to know your co-workers in a kitchen, and I love hearing their stories,” said Kampeter, who grew up in Jefferson City and completed his culinary schooling in Arizona. “Sometimes the things are so outlandish I’m like, ‘that really happened?’ Meanwhile, I try to teach them some of the stuff I know how to do.”

The kitchen — which was remodeled and updated in 2008 under former First Lady Melanie Blunt’s direction — meets industry standards and features top-notch equipment. The mansion itself is 20,691 square feet, comprises 23 rooms and sits on 10 acres. (The Kehoe family does not reside in the mansion, although they frequently host events there.)

“A lot of people, especially inside the prison, might think this is a cush job and we’re on easy street,” Burton said. “But we’re here every day at 7 a.m., and there is a lot to be done. Inside, outside, top to bottom. We earn what we get.”

Main Course

Dressed in their formal chef jackets and sporting tasseled mortarboards — the traditional squared graduation cap — the graduates might be forgiven if they seem a bit nervous. The class of 10 recipients are seated in the dining room waiting to receive their ServSafe certificates from the Governor himself, who is joined by First Lady Claudia Kehoe and several members of the MODOC executive leadership team.

“When Claudia and I entertain here — whether we’re bringing in business owners who might want to relocate to Missouri, or perhaps elected officials to discuss legislation — you guys have always been incredibly impressive and professional,” Kehoe told the graduates. “And now, when the time comes, you will be able to utilize this certification and this experience as part of your application.”

About 1,500 miles west on the California coast, John Tribbit concurs. A former program participant who continued full-time work at the mansion after his 2019 release from ACC, Tribbitt is now the front-house manager at Broken Yolk Café — an upscale diner near San Diego.

“The first job I applied for out here, at Pacifica Del Mar [an award-winning seafood and steak restaurant], I told them I had been a chef at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion, and they hired me right away,” Tribbit said. “To the guys graduating from the program, I would say, ‘Use that name-recognition!’ It helped make my dream of starting a new life come true.

“I’m forever grateful for the program and people at the mansion.”